Independence
by PrincessRuto313
Summary: After her father buys a copy of Majora's Mask, Kandace is thrilled. But then she and her sister are drawn into a whole new world. A world filled with adventure and danger! Now Kandace's sister is missing and it's up to her and the Indigo-gos to save her.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Where Am I?

"Yeah! Take that Gohma!" Kandace cried, jumping up and down. It was Friday. She was sitting her egg chair playing The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, her most favorite game in the world. She sat up and stretched, shaking her long, black hair out of her deep blue eyes. She heard voices outside. When she looked outside she saw a group of preps from school. The group that always spread rumors about her and her friends.

_Why are they out on my lawn? _Kandace wondered. She changed out of her pajamas, grabbed a water gun, loaded it with blue paint, and went outside.

The preps waved and gave her the loser sign. She waved back, pulled out the water gun, and shot at them. They ran away, screaming and dripping with paint.

Kandace laughed, "Blue streaks work on you, Ashley!"

A few minutes later a school bus pulled up. Betsy, her eight-year-old sister exited it. The sisters chatted for a minute about their days and went inside.

They went back to Kandace's room and Kandace played Zelda a little while longer. Zelda was very easy for her. She had won Ocarina of time at least eight times. But it was still her favorite game.

"Kandace, when is it my turn?" Betsy asked.

"Later," Kandace replied without looking up.

"But I want it now," Betsy whined.

Suddenly they heard the front door open.

"Girls, I'm home," It was their dad.

"Hey dad," They called.

"Kandace," He said walking in the room, "I bought this Nintendo game off a gypsy for a nickel,"

"A gypsy?" Betsy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kandace looked at the game, "It's The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask!" She threw her arms around her father, "Thank you, daddy!"

"You're welcome," He walked out.

"C'mon, Kandace, put it in!" Betsy ordered.

"Okay, Okay! Don't have a cow!" Kandace put the game in and turned on the Nintendo. At first nothing happened. Then the screen went blue.

"Hey, what-?" Kandace began. Then suddenly her vision blurred and her equilibrium was thrown off. The screen seemed to grow until it swallowed them up. She didn't see what happened after that because she stumbled and fell from dizziness.

Suddenly it was over. Kandace rolled over on her back. She was lying on a stone street in some sort of Town Square. To her left there was a tower that still seemed to be under construction. On her right was an even larger one that appeared to be a weird looking clock tower. There were construction workers all around. None of them seemed to notice a girl had just dropped into the middle of the square.

As she took this in, her head started to hurt worse. So she closed her eyes and just layed there, hoping she'd wake up from this strange dream. After a minute or so she felt a warm tongue licking her face. Her eyes shot open. It was a small, white, shaggy-looking dog. And she was still in the town square.

"Hi, doggy," She said petting the dog. Kandace was very fond of animals. Kandace closed her eyes again. The dog licked her face and tugged at her skirt, "Go away, Scruffy. I have to wake up now," She tried to push the dog away.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here?"

Kandace opened her eyes again. There was a man standing over her, staring at her, a perverted expression on his face. He was probably a construction worker. Kandace jumped up. He cornered her against a wall.

"Move," Kandace ordered.

"What's the matter, babe?" He grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me!" She pushed him away.

"Aw, quit playin' hard to get,"

"Get away from me, pig!"

"Hey, you heard the lady!" A zora stepped up behind him, "Back off,"

"Get lost, loser," The construction worker said without looking at him. The zora then grabbed the construction worker. Suddenly there were blue sparks. The construction worker went rigid and his eyes got wide. Then he collapsed, unconscious. Kandace gasped.

The zora, who had a sort of punk rock look to him, reached out his hand to help her over the construction worker. She took his hand. Normally she would have said, "What makes you think I need _your_ help?" But for some reason she didn't mind him helping her. The zora was tall and, as I've said, had a punk rock look to him. Hair fell down his face and covered his eyes.

"Are you, like, okay?" He asked. She stared at him for a minute. The zoras were her favorite race, but meeting one was kind of freaky.

"Hey," He caught her as she was about to fall over, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know where I am," She said finally, "I don't know what's going on,"

"What do you mean?"

"I was just in my room and now I'm here!" She cried, "What the heck is going on??"

"Chill out!" The zora grabbed her by the arms, "Now why don't you calmly explain what you're talkin' about,"

"I was in my room and I felt dizzy and fell and then I looked up and I was in this weird city,"

He thought for a minute, "Well, I can't think of any explanation,"

"What am I gonna do?!" She screamed at him so loud that people started to stare.

"Shhhh!" He hissed, "I don't know, but why don't you, like, come with me,"

She agreed. "Where are we going?" she queried.

"You'll see," He replied, "I don't want a lot of fans to overhear and follow us,"

"Oh," She didn't quite understand. _Is he famous?_

They were both quiet for a minute. Then he asked, "What's your name?"

"Kandace," she told him shakily. After a few seconds she added, "And you are-?"

He looked at her with confusion, "Japas," He said as though this should be obvious.

"What?" She asked, annoyed.

"Nothin'," He returned his gaze to the street ahead.

He led her around the clock tower to a grassy area. In one corner was a slide. A little kid was shooting spitballs at a balloon. A man wearing armor was blocking what looked like the exit to the city. Kandace and Japas went up a small hill to the entrance of a cave.

"This is where the Great Fairy lives. You should, like, go in and see her," He said, " I'll wait here,"

_Great Fairy? But the Great Fairies aren't real. I am SO dreaming. But still, this an awesome dream! There can't be any harm in playing along._

Kandace entered the large opening. It was very dark. At first, she had to feel along the wall. But then there was a faint light up ahead. She emerged in a round chamber.

In this room, the floors were marble. Mystical looking water flowed down the walls and into a fountain, which took up most of the room. Large, stone pillars surrounded the fountain and were connected by arches. The fountain seemed to give off strange light.

Kandace looked around. There seemed to be no one here, "Hello?" She called.

Suddenly she heard a woman laughing. A small, fairy appeared in the center of the fountain. She flew up toward the ceiling and grew until she was at least five times larger than Kandace. Kandace cried out, stumbled backwards, and fell.

"Dear, do not be frightened," Said the Great Fairy. The Great fairy had orange hair with vines woven into it and clothes also made up of vines.

Kandace stood slowly and looked up at the Great Fairy.

"I am the Great Fairy of Magic. And you, my dear, are in a town called Clocktown in Termina, a world parallel to your own,"

"But- But how- How?" Kandace couldn't find the right words.

"Someone must have put a spell on this game of yours to bring you here. You see, years ago someone from your world stumbled upon the lands of Termina and Hyrule. I'm not sure who did this or how they got here, but these lands inspired your games. And speaking of your world, a girl much younger than you has also fallen into this world. I sense a connection between you. Perhaps she is your sister?"

"Betsy?" Kandace cried.

"Do not fear. She is safe,"

"Where is she?"

"You will find her with the astronomer in the observatory just outside of town,"

"I have to go find her!"

"Of course. Your friends outside will show you the way. But before you go, I suggest you keep where you're from a secret. You might be thought of as mad. Best not to attract that kind of attention. When you find your sister come back here. I can give you more help," The Great Fairy sent her on her way.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Betsy's worst Fear

When she came out of the cave, Japas was at the bottom of the hill, talking amongst a small group of zoras. He looked up when he saw her, "Kandace!" He called. She walked down to them.

"Okay guys," Japas said to the others, "This is Kandace,"

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Lulu," Said a female zora who was wearing an Indigo dress.

"I'm Evan," Said a male with gold colored scales.

"Mikau," Said one covered in tattoos.

"Tijo," Said a rather large one.

"Hey y'all," She said awkwardly. She turned to Japas, "She says my sister is here, and she's at the observatory. So I have to go get her," She looked hopefully at him, "Can you guys show me where that is?"

"Sure, why not,"

"We don't have anything else to do right now,"

So the group set off towards the observatory.

"So where are you from?" Lulu asked.

Kandace remembered what the Great Fairy had said. _What am I supposed to tell her?_ "I- Ah!" Something wet hit her cheek.

"Hey!" Something hit Evan, too.

The little kid nearby laughed, "Oops, sorry," he said in mock regret, "You're big heads got in the way,"

"Hey, kid!" Kandace called, "You better apologize!" another spitball hit her forehead.

"Come here, brat!" Kandace exploded. He ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. She caught up and held onto his arm so he couldn't get away, "I hope you like pain!"

"What are you gonna do?" Lulu cried.

"Atomic wedgy!" She left the little monster hanging by his underpants on a wooden fence on top of the hill, "That'll teach you to shoot spit balls!"

She went back down to her friends. They were all gaping at her.

"What? He was askin' for it,"

"Uh… right," Evan said.

They went to East Clocktown, where a boy guarded an underground passage to the observatory.

"Let us through," Kandace told him.

"You can't pass unless you're a kid," The boy told her.

"Why are all the kids here so annoying?" Kandace started toward the little kid.

"That, like, won't be necessary," Japas restrained her.

Mikau lifted the kid off the ground and stood aside. The kid cried out and swung his fists at Mikau. Everyone entered the passage. Mikau set the kid down and followed the others. They followed the tunnel down a slope and through a sewer and down a ladder and up a ladder until they reached the observatory.

The observatory was the most intriguing place Kandace had ever been to. On the bottom floor was a variety of things: Chickens in cages, a bobble head cow, a scarecrow. The group went up the stairs. As they traveled up, things began to change color. The steps were now in rainbow colors and the walls were also brightly decorated.

They emerged into a large round room and gasped. The floor was made up of red, orange, yellow, pink and purple, diamond shaped tiles. The dome shaped ceiling was a map of the stars and was lined with lines of latitude and longitude. In the middle of the room was a circular platform with a giant telescope. An old man, bent over with age and wearing all blue was talking to someone behind the telescope.

Kandace went to the edge of the platform, "Excuse me,"

The old man looked over at them, "Hello," He limped toward them, "I've never seen your faces before. Are you here to do something for me?"

"I'm afraid not," Kandace replied kindly, "I'm looking for my little sister. I was told you know where she is,"

"I just might," He turned to the telescope, "Betsy?"

"Yes, professor?" Betsy's head poked out from behind the telescope and spotted Kandace. She walked over to her sister and jumped down off the platform looking annoyed, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here?" Kandace shot back, "I can't go home without you. Dad would ask questions,"

"I don't want to go home yet," Betsy argued.

"Well we can't stay here," Kandace snapped.

"Why not?" Betsy asked.

"Because I said so," Kandace replied angrily, "Now come on. We're going back to Clocktown and we're going to figure out how to get home,"

Betsy then noticed the group of Zoras, "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She had always thought they were scary. She shrieked and ran towards a door nearby, they all moved to stop her, but she was too fast. They followed her outside.

"Betsy, stop!" Kandace called. Then she saw Betsy was scrambling over the fence that went around the Observatory, "No, Betsy, come back! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Betsy jumped down from the fence and ran off into the field, "Come back! Come back! Come- and she's gone again," Kandace cupped her hands to her mouth, "Fine! Go! But if you get your arm eaten off by a monster I'm not takin' the blame!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Following Betsy's trail

It was 7:00 PM. Kandace sat on the bench in the lobby of the Stock Pot inn, with her head in her hands. It had been four days since Betsy ran away. They had searched most of Termina Field and hadn't found her.

Someone sat on the seat next to her; "Are you, like, okay?" said Japas' voice.

"No," Kandace answered without looking up, "I hope that brat is alive when we find her because I want to kill her myself,"

She thought about all the horrible creatures that she had seen on Ocarina of Time and was exceptionally worried about her little sister.

_What if she actually does get eaten?_

"We'll find her, don't worry," Japas put a hand on her shoulder.

"Who are you looking for?" Anju, the woman behind the desk, asked.

"My little sister. She ran away because she's scared of zoras," Kandace explained.

"Why is she scared of zoras?" Japas asked.

"Says they remind her of sharks," Kandace said. Japas looked rather offended.

"I don't know if it was your sister, but I did see a little girl a few days ago wearing clothes kind of like yours," Anju told her.

"Really? Where?" Kandace asked, looking up.

"She was with my friend Cremia and her little sister Romani. They own a Ranch south of Clocktown called Romani ranch," Anju explained.

"I know where that is. They, like, make Chateau Romani, don't they?" Japas asked.

"Yes,"

"Then tomorrow we'll go there to look,"

The next morning, they awoke early and left for the ranch. It was about a day's journey, so they wanted to get an early start. Just as they were heading for one of the city gates, something buzzed in Kandace's ear. She swatted at it and it called out, "Hey!"

Kandace looked around, "Up here!" She looked up and cried out. A tiny person was floating in midair with the help of some wings. Everyone looked around at her.

"You almost hit me!" The fairy said.

"I'm sorry. You startled me," Kandace apologized.

The fairy was young, almost child-like. A white light seemed to radiate from her. She was clad in a yellow dress that went down to her knees, an apron, yellow buckle shoes and white knee socks with yellow polka dots. Her hair was bright pink and her eyes were deep purple. Her angry expression softened.

"That's okay. You _are_ new here," She said, "I've been sent by the Great Fairy to help you. My name's Maeve,"

"I'm Kandace,"

Just then Kandace saw a familiar face. She would recognize that white fur coat and yappy bark anywhere, "Scruffy!" She scooped the little dog up in her arms, "Hey boy! Do you want to come, too?"

He barked as if to say, "Of course!"

"Oh no, not a dog," Japas groaned, "He's so not coming,"

"You can't tell me what to do," She countered.

"I hate dogs,"

"I don't care. I say he's coming," She glared defiantly.

Japas gave her a strange look. Like he had expected her to listen to him and send the dog on its way. _Who does he think he is? Just because he's hot doesn't mean- wait, did I just call him hot? _

The other guys were all staring at her too. But Lulu said, "You go girl!" Japas didn't protest anymore, though he did look at her curiously. So with their new companions, they left for Romani ranch.

At some point in the journey, around noon, Scruffy started barking at something in a bush.

"What is it boy?" Kandace asked going over to him.

Suddenly green ChuChu came out of the bush.

"AHHHHHHHH!!" Kandace shrieked. She grabbed scruffy and ran, "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!!" Well, what would _you _do in that situation?

"I'll slay it with my double cutters!" Mikau cried. He launched his blades at it, but they went straight through it without affecting it.

It went for Kandace, "AHHHHHHHHHH!!" She leaped on top of it and jumped up and down until it hissed, turned into a liquid and drained into the ground.

Kandace stood there breathing hard, clutching her heart, "Oh my gosh, that blob just attacked me,"

"It was a green ChuChu," Maeve explained.

"It was a green blob with eyeballs!" Kandace cried.

"Are you, like, okay?" Japas asked, walking over to her.

"Yeah, I guess," She gasped.

Kandace stuck close to the others for the rest of the trip. By nightfall they reached Milk road. A sign pointed them to Romani ranch. They headed down that path and soon came to a clearing. In the distance were a house and a barn.

"Hey look!" Maeve cried. As they approached the buildings they saw flames leaping from the open door of the barn. A fat lady and scrawny, little man were standing in front of it.

"Cremia!" The woman yelled at the barn, "Cremia! Come out of there!"

"What'll we do?" The little man cried.

"What's happening?" Mikau asked, running up to them.

"Cremia has gone in the barn and she hasn't come out!" The woman screamed.

Mikau went in the barn.

"Ma'am, please calm down. Everything's going to be fine," Lulu patted the woman on the back.

The woman was shaking, her eyes fixed on the barn door. When Mikau burst out carrying someone she limped to him, "Cremia? Is she okay??"

"I'm not sure," Mikau responded.

"Bring her inside," The little man called.

"Wait!" Cremia cried so suddenly that Mikau almost dropped her, "The cows! I managed to let them out of their stalls," The woman limped to the barn, grabbed the two giant doors and tugged them open. The cows and two brown horses stampeded out into the field.

The little man went over to the woman, "Come on, Yan, let's get you inside," She looked as though she would faint.

"Here," Mikau handed Cremia to Japas and went to help the little man. Cremia clung to him.

Kandace felt a twinge of envy for some reason.

_What kind of person am I? _She wondered. _This poor woman is hurt in a fire and I'm mad at her for touching my friend? _

The little man and the large woman invited the group inside. Japas layed Cremia on her bed.

"What happened here?" Evan asked, as the woman began wiping Cremia's forehead with a wet washcloth.

"Pirates from Great Bay attacked the ranch," She replied, "They burned the barn and they kidnapped Romani and her oddly dressed friend!"

"That's terrible!" Lulu exclaimed.

"What oddly dressed friend??" Kandace almost yelled.

"Don't yell so loudly," Yan held her head as though it hurt.

"Sorry,"

"Cremia and Romani were selling Chateau Romani in town the other day and found this girl who had been startled quite badly by a group of zoras," Yan explained, "Mentioned a particularly frightening one with fish bones and tattoos decorating his body," Mikau scowled, "The girl's name sounded foreign. Bess? Bailey?"

"Betsy?" Kandace asked.

"That's the one," She looked back at Cremia, "But why are you so interested in this girl?"

"She's my sister. She ran away because my friends scared her,"

After cleaning off Cremia's face in silence she then said, "Oh! I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Mamamu Yan. I run the doggy racetrack nearby. This is Grog, he takes care of the chickens,"

"Romani!" Cremia shrieked suddenly. She sat up, "Yan, where is my sister?"

"Dear," Yan stroked her hand gently, "Romani and Betsy have been kidnapped,"

"What?" Cremia looked as though she would cry, "But- why? They're only little girls!"

"We have to go after them!" Kandace cried.

"That would be suicide!" Cremia exclaimed, "But if that's what it takes to get my sister back, you can stay here tonight. By the way, who are you guys?"

The group stayed the night there. Cremia made the boys all sleep downstairs. While they talked they could hear wrestling matches going on down there.

Cremia opened the door and called down, "If you break anything you're all sleeping with the chickens tonight!"

"Boys," Lulu said, shaking her head.

"Speaking of boys," Kandace said to Lulu, "There is a certain one in your group that is being a royal pain,"

"I think I know which one you're talking about," Lulu replied.

"So, has he always been like that or is it just for me?" Kandace asked.

"Well, he's always been a bit of a jerk, but I think he's giving you special treatment,"

"I'm flattered," Kandace replied sarcastically.

Lulu, Maeve and Cremia laughed.

"It's probably just because he's only used to being flirted with by girls, and you have just treated him like a normal person,"

"Yeah, of course I have. What's so special about him?"

"Wait a minute," Cremia said, "You _do_ know that you've been traveling with a famous zora band, right?"

"Huh?" Kandace cried.

"You've been with these guys for- what? About a week and you didn't know they were famous?" Maeve asked incredulously.

"We didn't tell you that we're the Indigo-gos?"

"No, that didn't come up," Kandace told her. O.o

"Sorry, we just expect people to know. We forgot you weren't from around here," Lulu yawned, "Ya know, we should probably get some rest,"

"You're right," Kandace agreed, "Goodnight,"

"Goodnight," Cremia and Lulu replied.

Cremia blew out the candle.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Chapter 4:

Okay, maybe he's not _so _bad

The next morning Yan and Grog were saddling up the horses and Cremia was preparing food for them to bring with them. Lulu, Tijo, and Evan had decided they wanted to stay and help Yan, Grog, and Cremia. Yan had been sliced up by one of the pirates and of course Cremia had been injured in the fire. So now Kandace, Japas and Mikau were left to go ahead. The whole group was going to meet up in Zora Hall in a few days.

Kandace ran behind the house to where Tijo, Lulu and Mikau were standing, "Lulu, you're leaving me with _him_," she pointed at Japas who was nearby talking to Evan, "He's a jerk,"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too often," Mikau looked at her mischievously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She glared at him. He burst out laughing, "Oh no. You did not just suggest what I think you did!"

He grabbed her wrists as she attempted to punch him, "Come on, you know it's true!"

"Shut up!" Then Kandace heard someone come up behind her.

"Japas," Mikau said, grinning, "We were just talking about you. Right, Kandace?"

Kandace felt herself turning red. They were all watching her. She was so angry she could- she could-! _Oh no!_ It was already happening! Mikau looked at her with surprise. Lulu and Tijo looked at her with sympathy. There was no way to tell what Japas was thinking until he punched Mikau hard in the arm, "Hey, let her go!" Mikau released her at once.

Lulu seemed to snap out of it then. "Come on," She led the crying Kandace to the barn, where Cremia was gathering supplies for them.

"Hey, y'all!" Cremia said brightly. Then she saw Kandace, "What happened?"

"Mikau upset her!" Lulu said angrily. To Kandace she said, "Don't worry, I'll get him later,"

"Are you okay?" Cremia asked, kindly.

"Yeah, I'm okay now. It just happens when I'm really angry,"

"When you're angry? Judging from when we first met, you should be waterlogged by now!" Lulu cried. They all laughed. Then Lulu and Kandace explained what had happened, to Cremia.

When they were finished, she asked, "So is what Mikau said true?"

"I, uh- um," She stammered, "I mean, of course not,"

Cremia and Lulu exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

"Oh my gosh, it is!"

"Nuh uh!" Kandace yelled.

"Yes it is! You're totally into him!"

"No I'm not!"

"Come on. It's so obvious that you like him," Cremia told her.

"Okay, maybe I have a tiny crush on him," Kandace admitted, "But I'm sure it'll be over soon,"

"Sure," Lulu said, unconvinced, "Anyways, I've gotta go get Mikau,"

True to her word, Lulu made Mikau apologize to Kandace.

"So, are we cool?" He asked. They were standing by the barn talking. Lulu was watching from nearby to make sure he did as she said.

"Not yet," Kandace told him. She punched him hard in the shoulder, "Okay, now we're cool,"

"Ow! You've got a good arm!" He walked away holding his shoulder.

"Wait, I want to punch you, too!" Cremia called, running after him.

"Oh! Dibs on his other shoulder!" Lulu said following her.

"Help, they're attacking!" Mikau cried. They chased him around the house.

"Get him!" Kandace cheered.

Suddenly she heard someone laugh right next to her. After jumping about a mile in the air, she saw that it was Japas, "Whoa! When did you get here?"

He smiled, "I see you're feeling better,"

"Yep," She looked back at Mikau and the girls, "That did wonders for me,"

He laughed again. But then his voice was serious, "Hey Kandace?"

Sensing something, she looked at him, "Yeah?"

Before he could continue, Mikau appeared around the corner. As he ran past, he made her stumble backwards and fall. Japas grabbed her around her waist. Kandace threw her arms around his neck. Then Lulu and Cremia came around the corner.

"Oh, I can't run anymore," Cremia gasped.

"Me either," Lulu agreed.

"Aw, you guys tire to easily," Mikau came to stand next to them.

Tijo came out of the barn, "The horses are saddled up. We can start loading them with supplies,"

Suddenly, they noticed Kandace and Japas. Their mouths dropped open. Confused, Kandace looked at Japas. He was grinning at her, his face inches away. Then she remembered his arms around her waist.

"Ah!" She pushed him away.

When they were ready to go, Lulu, Cremia, and Kandace embraced as though they were sisters.

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Kandace said.

"We're going to miss you, too," Cremia replied.

"But we'll see each other in a few days," Lulu assured her.

"Yeah," Kandace felt a little better at that thought, "And Cremia, you rest and recover your strength,"

"Don't worry about me. I will," Cremia promised, "Kandace, I wanted to give you this bow. It may come in handy at some point,"

"Thank you, I'm sure it will," She strapped the quiver and bow to her back.

So the American girl, the dog, the two zoran rock stars, and the fairy set off on their journey to Great Bay. Kandace immediately wished that she had let Japas drive. He was sitting behind her on the horse and had his arms around her waist. He was also sitting right up against her. She could feel his breath on her neck and thought she would faint.

"Heads up!" Mikau called.

They ducked just in time to avoid being hit by a bird. It was a keese, "You drive!" She ordered Japas. He took the reigns.

"What are you doing?"

Kandace pulled out an arrow and loaded it onto her bow. _Target practice, finally! _She shot it down.

"More trouble!" Mikau warned, pointing up ahead. They looked. It was a pack of wolfos and they were heading straight into it. They turned the horses to go around the pack, but they had been spotted. The pack began pursuing Kandace and Japas. Now they were forced to ride at full gallop. But it wasn't fast enough. The Wolfos were catching up. Kandace shot at a few of them. The arrows seemed to bounce off of their hides.

"Nothing? My attack did nothing!?" Kandace yelled in frustration. Suddenly, a wolfos leapt at them from a tree branch overhead. It landed on top of her and she tumbled off of the horse. When she opened her eyes she was laying on her back. Glowing yellow eyes stared down at her. She fought the urge to shriek and looked for the horse. It was standing next to a tree nearby, frightened and rider-less. Where was Japas?

When Kandace realized she was still holding her bow, she jabbed it at the Wolfos's head. It jumped away from her before she could poke out one of its eyes. She spotted Japas. He had been knocked off the horse and was lying unconscious on the ground nearby. A few wolfos were on top of him, ready to rip him open.

"Get away from him!" Kandace shot them all and pushed them off of Japas. Then she cradled him in her arms, "Japas?"

He stirred, "Is this heaven?" He asked, grinning up at her.

"Well, _you're_ okay," She said. Then Japas sat up and looked at something over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She looked and didn't even have time to flinch before a wolfos jumped at them from a tree branch. But before it made it to the ground, two blades came out of nowhere and sliced it in three. The remaining wolfos ran away then.

"Are you guys okay?" Mikau asked when the blades had returned.

"We're fine," Kandace replied, "And I assume you're okay since you saved us,"

"Yeah," He grinned smugly, and then looked up at the sky, "Maybe we should make camp. It's getting dark,"

"I think that's a very good idea," Kandace agreed. Japas nodded to show he was in favor of it, too. They built a fire next to a large boulder. Scruffy ate three slices of bread. Kandace ate an apple and tried not to look at the two boys as they were chowing down on raw fish.

"Are you okay?" Mikau asked her.

Kandace, who had been staring straight down at her lap, looked up to see Japas bite into a fish. The juices dripped from its body. Mikau's face was a mess also, blood and- you know what? You don't even want to know what else was on there.

"Oh, you guys are so gross!" She jumped up, ran from fire, and lost her pathetic dinner all over the ground. After a few minutes she came back to the fire. The boys weren't eating anymore, which came as a big relief to her. Scruffy licked her hand sympathetically.

"Are you okay?" Mikau repeated.

"Not really," she said glumly.

Suddenly Scruffy ran off into the woods barking.

"Come back!" Kandace ran after him, "Scruffy!" She stopped and looked around. Then she felt tiny teeth sink into her ankles, "OW!" She jumped backwards and fell, "Won't someone-ugh-help me here?" She called. Mikau came and carried her back to the camp.

"You got into a bunch of Deku Babas. Let's be thankful they were only little ones, a_nd _let's hope they aren't poisonous," Mikau told her.

They heard scruffy barking in the distance, "I'll find him," he got up and went to find Scruffy.

Kandace started cleaning and bandaging her leg.

"So, like, what'd we do to make you lose your dinner?" Japas asked. He hadn't been paying attention!

She looked up at him "Uhhh…" She debated telling him that it was his ignorance. He really needed to pay more attention. Even so, she didn't want him to think- _wait, why do I care what he thinks?_ She had never cared what anyone thought about her before now. _How strange- me at a loss for words._

"Kandace?"

_I wish I could see his eyes. Why does he wear his hair like that?_

"Kandace?" He asked again. It hit her that she was staring at him.

She looked down quickly. _Oh my gosh. What am I thinking? I don't actually… Are the others right? No. No way! _She shivered against the breeze. _I'm SO not dressed for this weather._

"Kandace," Suddenly Japas was right next to her. He put his arms around her. At first she was stunned. Then she relaxed against him. They stayed like that for what seemed like ages.

Finally Kandace sat up. She was suddenly feeling extremely warm. She cried out and clutched her head. It was as though an invisible person had brought a hammer down on it.

"Kandace? What's wrong?" Japas asked, looking alarmed.

She opened her eyes and looked at him, "Japas," She said, "You only have one head, right?"

"Ummm . . . Yeah," He said. He put an arm around her again, "Are you okay?"

She gasped, holding her stomach

"Japas," she gasped, "I don't feel well. I think it's . . . poison . . ."

Her head flopped limply onto his shoulder and she felt herself fall into darkness. Kandace slipped in and out of consciousness, catching glimpses of what was going on. Japas was carrying her to the horse. They were riding through Termina field. Then a long stretch of beach littered with shells and sea stars.

At one point she became aware enough to realize she was in water. Someone was cradling her while swimming. Her head hurt so terribly, she wanted to cry, "Japas," she moaned.

"It's okay," He said, and she realized it was him carrying her, "I'm right here," She fell asleep again. When she woke up, she was laying in some sort of bed. It seemed to be made of a giant clamshell with padding on it. The rest of the room was decorated with shells and sea stars and seaweed. She tried to stand up and ended up falling because her ankles hurt. They were swollen.

Still not fully awake, she sat down in a seashell/chair. _Hmmm. This must be that Zora Hall place I heard Maeve mention._

Kandace could hear children's voices. A doorway nearby was ajar. She could see little faces peeking at her through it. They were zora children. She figured they hadn't ever seen any humans because they were so young. They were all whispering animatedly.

"She is strange looking,"

"Someone go say hi,"

"I'm not going,"

"Me either,"

"You, get in there,"

A small girl stumbled in, obviously pushed by her friends. Kandace smiled, "Well, hello there," She said kindly.

"Hi," The girl said shyly, putting her thumb in her mouth.

"What can I help you and your friends with?" Kandace asked.

"Well- um . . . What is that on your head?" She said, patting her own to indicate where.

"Um," Kandace felt her head, "What do you mean?"

"That black stuff that looks like fur,"

"Oh, my hair," _Does it really look like fur?_

"You're cloths are different from the ones my mommy wears,"

"I'm not from here," _Definitely not. _

"Where did you come from?"

"Very far away," _From another universe._

Suddenly the girl went to the door and peeked out. She whispered something to her friends. They all crowded in, pushing and shoving. _They must figure I'm okay._

"Hello, everybody," Kandace said waving. _Go away, everybody._

Everybody had questions.

"How did you get here?" One boy asked.

"Actually, I don't understand it fully myself. One second I was in my own room playing- uh- with my sister," She had almost revealed her secret! "Next thing I know I'm laying in the middle of Clocktown,"

"How come you haven't gone home yet?" A girl asked.

"Well my sister was taken by these pirates,"

The children all gasped and ran and sat on the floor in front of her.

"No way!"

"What happened?"

"My sister- see my friends and I were looking for her. But the problem is they're zoras and she was scared of them and ran away," Kandace went on to tell the whole story. Editing out inappropriate things. By the end they were all dead silent, staring at her.

"Any questions?" Kandace asked.

A boy raised his hand "What's that?" He pointed at something next to the bed. It was Scruffy.

"Scruffy!" Kandace ran and grabbed up the slumbering dog in a hug.

"Arf!" Scruffy cried in surprise.

Maeve flopped off the top of the dog's head onto the floor, "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"GRRRRR! RUFF!" Scruffy growled at the children.

"Scruffy!" Kandace scolded, "Be nice to the children,"

"Are you okay?" She picked up Maeve in her hands.

"How rude!" The fairy said defiantly in her cutesy little voice.

Kandace laughed making Maeve scowl even more, "So Japas decided not to leave Scruffy behind?"

"His exact words 'Bring the mutt since she likes it so much',"

"Mutt??" Kandace said flaring up, "He's SO dead when I get my hands on him!" She looked over at the children. They were staring wide-eyed at her.

"Uh- story time is over kids. See you later," She shooed them out.

"How sweet," She said sarcastically.

Maeve peered up at her impishly, "I don't know, you two seemed cozy last night,"

Kandace's stomach rolled over, "What?"

"You know, the cuddling,"

_Maeve had been watching? _"I- don't know what you're talking about!"

Maeve laughed, and then turned serious, "He's been very worried about you,"

"He has?" She looked at Maeve.

"Yeah, he stayed up all night looking after you. I finally convinced him to go and get some rest,"

_That's so sweet. _"Okay, talk to me, girl. What happened after I passed out?"

"Okay," Maeve said, "Here's what happened:"

"_**Japas," Kandace gasped, "I don't feel well. I think it's . . . poison . . ." Her head flopped limply onto Japas' shoulder.**_

"_**Kandace!" Japas cried. He lifted her off the ground, "Mikau! We have to leave!" **_

_**Mikau came out carrying Scruffy, "What should we do about the dog?"**_

"_**Bring the mutt since she likes it so much!" He yelled, "We have better things to worry about! Kandace has been poisoned and we have nothing to treat her with,"**_

"_**You'll ride faster with just two. Go, I'll catch up," **_

"_**Wait for me!" Maeve landed on his shoulder and did her best to hang on as they rode off into the night. **_

"_**Hang on," Japas whispered to Kandace. He seemed not to notice that Maeve was sitting on his shoulder. **_

_**They didn't stop riding until it was midday and the horse absolutely would not take another step. They were at Great Bay coast. Japas climbed off the horse and started carrying Kandace. The horse turned and trotted away. It would return to the ranch.**_

_**Maeve fluttered after Japas, "Whew, my wings are so stiff!" A sudden gust of wind blew her sideways, "Ah! Help!" **_

_**He caught her and stuck her on his shoulder "We'll be there soon," He said, sounding distracted. Maeve looked at him. He was gazing at Kandace. She had turned emerald green and did not look well at all. Finally they came to a point where Japas stopped.**_

_**Maeve looked around, "Why'd you stop?"**_

"_**We're here,"**_

_**She looked around some more, "All I see are a couple of palm trees and some zora guys over there,"**_

"_**Out on the water,"**_

_**She looked and there it was. So they started swimming out to it. They were about half way there when-**_

"_**Japas," Kandace moaned. **_

_**He brushed her hair out of her face, "It's okay. I'm right here," Kandace fell back asleep. Finally they made it to Zora Hall, where Kandace was properly treated for the deku baba poison. She slept the rest of the day and all night. Mikau arrived that night with the dog and all their stuff. He stayed a while, and then went to his room to rest. **_

"_**Don't you think you should rest while you have the chance?" Maeve asked Japas. He had been there all night. It was around six in the morning.**_

"_**Yeah, I guess you're right," He said. Maeve started out the door to show him where his room was. He started to follow, then paused. She peeked around the doorframe curiously. She watched him sit next to Kandace, lean over her and kiss her on the forehead. Maeve smiled.**_

Kandace was stunned at the end of Maeve's recount of the night before. She looked down at her hands, "He was really that worried about me?"

Maeve nodded, "Checked your temperature every five minutes,"

Kandace was quiet for a minute then looked at Maeve awkwardly, "Do you think he-?" before she could finish, someone knocked on the door. The door opened and Japas entered.

He smiled, "Hey, you're awake,"

She smiled back, dashed across the room and, ignoring her sore ankles, threw her arms around his neck. It took a second for him to recover from the shock, and then he put his arms around her. They stayed like that until Maeve cleared her throat very loudly.

"I think I'm going to go see what Mikau's up to. Come on Scruffy!" She whizzed out the door faster than a fly. Scruffy followed rather reluctantly.

_Come back Scruffy! _Kandace willed the dog. But Scruffy couldn't read her mind and left with Maeve. _What now?_ She let go of him and stepped back. Her ankles wouldn't support her any longer. She cried out and fell backwards. Japas reached out, grabbed her hands and pulled her back to her feet. Then she fell forward and knocked him over backwards and they both fell. He fell backwards onto the couch and she ended up sitting on his lap.

Suddenly the door opened and Tijo walked in. When he spotted the two in their strange position, he jumped like he'd seen a purple elephant and said, "Whoah! Uh- am I interrupting something? I'll come back later," He turned and left looking dazed.

Kandace and Japas looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time. Then they realized, also at the same time, that she was still sitting on his lap. She would have gotten up off of him if his arms hadn't been around her waist. He transferred her to the seat beside him, "Well, I should probably get going," He leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek, "See ya,"

"Yeah, see you," she replied faintly. He smiled and turned to leave.

As soon as the door had shut behind him, Kandace heard a voice from the closet, "Awww,"

"Aren't they so cute?" another voice giggled.

Blushing furiously, Kandace strode to the closet and threw open the door. Mikau and Maeve were there.

"Uh oh, I think we're in trouble Maeve,"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5:

Drama

Another day passed before the swelling went down. Kandace had grown very restless. She didn't like sitting around all day. It was lonely. Scruffy was there, but it's easy to get tired of fetch after playing it for two hours. Japas visited, but she was always sad when he left to go out with his friends without her. Finally her ankles healed and she left the room to look around. She checked out the stage and the shops and talked to some of the locals. Then one day she decided to attempt swimming to the beach.

Once she got out on the water, she wished she had asked one of her zoran friends to help her. She wasn't making much progress. The waves were way over her head; she was drifting further down the beach from where she wanted to be, and she was probably impossible to spot from the beach with her black hair and dark blue zoran clothes (The kind that allows you to breathe underwater).

But apparently someone noticed her struggling "Need some help?" A voice asked. It was Evan. He grabbed her arm so she wouldn't be swept away.

"Oh hey! You guys are finally back from the ranch!" Kandace cried, "Thanks for saving me,"

"You didn't look too happy bobbing around on the waves," He laughed. Then noticed her face, "Why are you crying?"

"I have salt in my eyes!" She cried in pain.

"Oh," He pulled her to shore quickly.

"I think Japas is around here somewhere," Evan said as Kandace rubbed her eyes. He looked around, "There he is! But who's that with him? Ohhh . . ."

"What is it?" Kandace asked, her eyes finally clear. She spotted Japas and would have waved to him if there hadn't been a girl on his arm, "WHAT is he DOING?!" She started toward him, "I'm gonna kill him!!"

"Kandace, wait!" Evan cried, easily restraining her, "We're in public! At least wait until there are no witnesses!"

She stared in anguish across the beach at Japas. "Fine, just take me back to Zora Hall," Before she turned away, he looked up and their eyes met for a fraction of a second (She assumed. You can't really tell with all that hair in the way).

"Salt in your eyes again, Kandace?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, salt," And she wiped her eyes.

When Japas saw Kandace, he was afraid. But when he saw that hurt look in her eyes, saw her turn away, he was terrified. _Oh no, what have I done? _He completely forgot about the girl next to him and sprinted after Kandace. _Why was I with that girl? I didn't even know her name!_

Kandace and Evan were heading to Kandace's room when they heard someone calling them. They looked back and saw Lulu and Tijo running down the hallway after them. Mikau soon showed up and embraced Lulu like he hadn't seen her in years. Then they all went with Kandace back to her room.

"So how are things with you and Japas?" Tijo asked. Kandace frowned and looked down at her lap.

"We just caught him up on the beach with another girl," Evan explained.

Lulu gasped, "That jerk! He's SO going to get it! Come on Mikau, You can hold him down and I'll-!"

"That won't be necessary," Kandace interrupted, "I'll get him myself. You guys better go. He'll be here soon to explain,"

"How do you know that?" Mikau asked opening the door.

"I just do," She stood at the doorway to watch them go. Then, she saw him coming towards her. She watched him coldly as he approached. He stopped in front of her.

"What?" She snapped.

"Kandace, let me explain," He pleaded. She only stared, "Come on, we need to talk,"

She glared for a long minute before letting him in, "Sure, let's talk," She closed the door, "But what about? I know! Let's talk about how you pretended to care about me,"

"Kandace I-,"

"You played me! I can't believe I actually-," She paused to take a deep breath.

"Kandace, please listen," Japas began.

"No, I'm not gonna listen to your lies! And I'm not going to stick around with you just so I can take more of this crap! Once I rescue my sister I'm going home to America and I'm never coming back!" She yelled, "Get out! Just leave me alone! I hate you, you lying cheat!" When she said these words, shock crossed his face. She didn't care. She grabbed him, tossed him into the street, and slammed the door. Then she turned to her bed and collapsed on it. She wouldn't let herself cry over him. After a minute she called, "You can come out now, Maeve," Scruffy climbed up next to her and licked her arm comfortingly.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Maeve asked, landing on her shoulder.

"I don't need him. Why should I trust someone who'll break my heart?"

"Because he really does love you," Mikau answered peeking out of the closet.

"Then why did he go to that other girl?" Kandace demanded, sitting up.

"Kandace, you should know by now. Japas isn't used to being with only one person," Lulu told her, also coming out of the closet.

"Yeah, he may flirt impulsively, but that doesn't mean he's a bad guy," Tijo added, coming to stand next to Mikau.

"Oh please, you guys! He's probably off somewhere cuddling with some other girl," She exclaimed, "By the way, how many of you are in there?"

"Actually," Evan came out, too, "He's in his room stressing over how to get you to speak to him again,"

"It's true," Mikau agreed, "I've never seen him this upset about a girl before. And we've been best friends since we were, like, 7,"

"And when he's depressed like this, he can't play right," Evan added.

"Yes, so please talk to him," Lulu begged.

"Hold on y'all. I don't know what to do. I just-," She took a deep breath, "I'm just gonna go for a walk and gather my thoughts," So Kandace, with Scruffy by her side, left the room.

Where she ended up was behind Zora Hall at the back entrance. There was nothing back here but a small island. So she thought it would be a good place to sit and think for a while. _What should I do?_ She asked herself.

"Oh, Scruffy," She asked the dog, "What do you think I should do? I still like him, but he's a player. I'd be setting myself up for a heartbreak,"

Scruffy looked at her, seeming to say, "But he really does like you,"

"How do you know that? Scruffy, I just can't go back to him. And don't look at me like that,"

Scruffy was giving her a stubborn look, "Listen. I'm a dog and I can sense these things. So I know what I'm talking about when I say he felt really bad,"

"Well I still say he's probably making out with some other girl right now,"

"No, he's right here, wishing you would talk to him instead of your dog," That hadn't been Scruffy. Kandace turned to find Japas watching her from the doorway.

She turned back to Scruffy, "Maybe if he wasn't such a liar I wouldn't have to talk to my dog about this. And besides, why should he care? He can have any girl he wants,"

Japas came closer, "Maybe he doesn't want just any girl,"

Kandace's voice was strangely muffled, "Then maybe he shouldn't flirt with just any girl,"

Japas sighed, "Kandace, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say,"

She didn't answer. He came up and crouched in front of her, "Kandace?"

"What?" she wept.

He hadn't expected her to be crying, "Come on, Kandace, don't be sad over me,"

"Who says I'm sad? These are tears of frustration!" She yelled, "I'm in this bizarre world, I have no idea how I got here, and I'm stuck on some rock star who can't make up his mind! And while I'm sitting here, pouring out my heart to him, my sister is hanging out with pirates!" She began to sob uncontrollably.

At first, he only looked at her, then he slipped his arms around her and held her close, "I'm sorry, Kandace,"

She looked up at him, _If only I could see his eyes._ _Oh, I can't stand this any more! _She reached up to brush his hair out of the way. But suddenly she heard Scruffy barking and looked up in time to find a sword hilt being brought down on top of her head.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

What Scruffy said

"Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!" _Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! _ Scruffy ran as fast as his four legs would carry him.

_I have to save human Kandace! _He went to a door and scratched at it, whining and howling at the top of his lungs. Suddenly the door was yanked open and a heavy-eyed Mikau looked down at him.

"Help! Human Kandace and the other Fish guy are in trouble!" Scruffy yelled.

"What are you barking about, dog?" Mikau asked, looking annoyed.

_Oh yeah, he can't understand me. _

"What's going on?" It was Lulu and Maeve.

"Maeve!" Scruffy cried.

"What is it Scruffy?" Maeve hovered above his head. She knew how to talk to animals.

"Human Kandace is in trouble! She and the Fish guy just got attacked by some weird ladies,"

"Uh- Fish guy?"

"Yeah, the one with fur hiding his eyes!"

"Japas?"

"Whatever. Just follow me!"

Maeve translated to the others and they followed Scruffy out the back. No one was there. Kandace and Japas and the two women had disappeared. Nearby there was a pirate sword stuck in the ground. It was covered in a red liquid. Blood. Tied around the blade was Kandace's scarf. Scruffy sniffed the blood and howled.

"Whose blood is it?" Maeve asked.

"It's Fish guy's!" Scruffy wailed. He didn't like Fish guy very much, but human Kandace did! He didn't want her to be sad.

"Oh no," Maeve muttered under her breath. When she told the others, Lulu clapped a hand to her mouth and Mikau swore at the top of his lungs in a different language.

"We have to save them," Maeve declared.

"Yeah!" Scruffy agreed, "Let's go right now!" He ran and almost jumped into the Bay, but Mikau caught him in midair.

"Come on! Let me go! I can take 'em!" He kicked his legs.

"Hold it Scruffy. We need a plan," Maeve said.

Scruffy, now on the ground, began to whimper softly.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Reunion

When Kandace woke up, she didn't open her eyes.

_It's all been a dream._ She thought, _when I open my eyes, I'll be home in my bed. _

She tried to roll over and fall back asleep and realized she was missing her blanket. She opened her eyes to try to find it.

"What the-?" This wasn't her room! She went to the door and peered out a small, barred window, "Hello? Is someone out there? Where am I?"

"You're in the fortress of the pirates of Great Bay," A woman resembling a Gerudo walked up, "Our queen says since you like hanging around with zoras that you should be treated the same as them,"

"Wait, the pirate's fortress? You kidnapped my sister! Where is she?"

"She's probably being trained to be a pirate,"

"What?!"

"Sorry, I'm not supposed to talk to prisoners,"

Kandace sighed and turned away from the door. It was a small room with no windows and was totally bare apart from two cots. Kandace had been sleeping on one. The other was occupied by-

"Japas!" She sat next to him on the bed. He appeared to be sleeping. She rolled him over and almost shrieked.

It looked as though he had been tortured. There was a cut on his right arm and one on his chest. They weren't too deep, though. Kandace brushed Japas's hair out of his eyes. Bruises covered his handsome face. Thinking quickly, she pulled the sheet off her cot and ripped it. Then she rapped it around his arm. Another piece she held to his chest.

_Where are we? Oh, my head! _Her head was sore from the pirate hitting her. She held a hand to her head. Feeling something wet, she drew it back. Her hand was covered in blood. Before she could react, Japas began to stir. Without realizing it, she reached forward to stroke his hair.

He opened his eyes. _I finally get to see them. _ His eyes were a cerulean blue. When they focused on her, they filled with concern, "Kandace, you're bleeding!" He reached up weakly and pulled her hair out of her face so he could better see the wound.

Without warning the door was thrown open and three pirates came in. One with white clothing and short hair turned to look at someone outside the door, "Well, hurry up!"

"No!" Yelled a familiar voice.

The two guards went out the door for a minute. When they returned, they were manhandling two girls, Betsy and Romani.

Kandace gasped, "Betsy?" Romani looked tearful, as any normal child would be, but not Betsy. Betsy glared defiantly at the pirates. Then she noticed her sister. Her look didn't soften.

_I can't believe that kid!_

"Today we're going to practice some of those sword techniques I showed you," The woman looked at the guards and pointed at Japas, "Now, bring him here," They obediently stepped toward Japas and Kandace.

"No," Kandace found her voice again and jumped up, "NO!" She grabbed the spear that was jabbed at her and jabbed the blunt end into the guard's stomach. While that guard was down, Kandace went for the other guard. She tripped her and was about to bring the spear down into the guard's belly, when someone came up behind her and hit her in the back of the head. Darkness swallowed her up.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Sister

Kandace woke only minutes later. They had left her lying in the middle of the floor. Japas was on his knees nearby, looking as though he would pass out. He could barely keep himself upright. Betsy, Romani, and the woman in white were standing in front of him. The guards stood on either side, as if they might need to restrain him. Betsy was holding a sword while hiding behind Romani.

"Betsy, you go first," The woman said. She pulled Romani off to a side of the room with her and motioned for the guards to move away from Japas. Now Betsy was left alone facing Japas. Kandace looked up and saw fear in her sister's face. Japas lifted his head to look at her. With what strength was left in him he stood and began to walk towards Betsy.

"What are you waiting for you silly girl?" The woman snarled, "Strike him!"

"Adara, I'm scared!" Betsy backed away.

"You will strike him down, now!" She ordered.

"I can't!" Betsy cried.

"Then you will suffer the consequences," Adara raised her sword and advanced on Betsy. Betsy dropped her sword and backed up against the wall. She looked back and forth from Adara to Japas, terrified. Adara began to run at Betsy, but Japas intercepted her and knocked her backwards into the wall.

"Hey leave her alone!"

"You've got some nerve, zora!" She rushed at him with her sword raised.

Adara didn't see that Kandace was now standing. She didn't see the sword until Kandace stuck it through her abdomen. Time seemed to stop. Everyone was frozen by a spell, looking at Kandace. The spell was broken when Adara let out a distressed wail.

Horrified, Kandace let go of the blade. Adara toppled over, lifeless. The guards rushed towards Kandace ready to run her through with their spears. But then someone jumped in front of her and blocked the attack. It was Mikau. He was using his arm blades as shields. He gave the guards a small jolt of electricity to stun them. They would be out for a while.

"Mikau!" Kandace cried in surprise, "You came to rescue us?"

"It's not just me," He replied.

Maeve landed on her shoulder and hugged her neck, "We were so worried about you!"

"Arf!" Scruffy barked.

Kandace looked over at Betsy and Japas. Betsy's tears were flowing freely. For minute, she only stared at Kandace accusingly. Then she dashed across the room and threw her arms around her. Kandace hadn't held her sister like this since she was a baby. She kind of missed it.

After a minute, she stood up, "Let's get out of here,"

The sun was starting to rise as they neared the shore. Mikau was pulling Romani and Betsy along at the speed of a motorboat, making them scream out of fright and joy. Kandace was, of course, traveling at a slower pace. Soon the others disappeared behind a wave.

"Hey, you guys! Wait up!" She called.

They couldn't hear her. _Well, that's great. Next thing you know, a shark will attack me._

Suddenly a wave rose over her head. Startled, she cried out and swallowed a mouthful of saltwater. She came up sputtering. She'd barely had time to recover when another wave washed over her. This time she was washed up against someone and grabbed hold of him, "I've got you," Said Japas' voice. He swam her to the surface.

She rubbed her burning eyes, "Thanks,"

"Listen, about earlier-," He began.

"Oh, I'm not mad anymore," She told him.

"Then take back what you said," He demanded.

"What did I say?"

"You said you hated me! Do you realize how much that hurt?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," She smiled, "I don't hate you," A wave swept up against them. Japas grabbed her arms. When it was over, he didn't let go.

"Kandace," He said, "I'm going to take advantage of you for a minute,"

"What do you-?" But she couldn't finish her question because he leaned forward and kissed her.

"Ah, You've returned safely!" The Great Fairy exclaimed with delight, "I'm so happy to see the two of you are safe!"

"Thank you," Kandace and Betsy replied kindly.

"So are you ready to go home now?"

"Well, actually…" Kandace wasn't sure how to reply.

The Great Fairy looked at her for a moment and then smiled in understanding, "Oh, I see. Well perhaps we can work something out!"

Kandace looked up hopefully, "Really? Like what?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Happy Ending

Kandace woke bright and early. She looked around at her room; Her TV, her dresser, her closet. _Why does today feel different? _Then she remembered; it's Saturday!

She jumped out of bed and got dressed quickly. After eating a breakfast of a Hershey's chocolate bar and a coke, she went over to her Nintendo, slipped in the cartridge, and turned it on. Once again she lost her balance and fell to the floor in Zora Hall. Scruffy's excited barks greeted her.

"Hey boy!" Kandace petted Scruffy.

"Kandace, are you okay?" Someone asked her.

She looked up, "Japas!"

He pulled her to her feet and kissed her. They were still Kissing when Betsy appeared next to them.

"Ew!" She cried. She looked at Kandace in disgust, "You are so gross!"

"You're just jealous 'cuz I have a boyfriend," Kandace replied.

"Get a room!" Betsy left them there still kissing.

**THE END**


End file.
